More on training by pace

Back in October I shared my idea to switch my marathon training metric focus from heart rate to pace. Since then I have found more support for this idea. Joe Friel himself makes an excellent case for this in the context of cycling, in his book, "The Power Meter Handbook." The problem is, nobody has a practical way to measure power while running, so heart rate is generally considered the next best metric. (Actually there is a company developing a waist mounted accelerometer that measures power while running. D.C. Rainmaker has tried a beta version.)

Ryan Riell has posted an interesting piece on the Training Peaks blog, "How to Train for an IRONMAN Marathon," and in it he makes a case for training by pace instead of heart rate. He does not throw out heart rate, rather he acknowledges the variability typical of heart rate and why that makes it a poor choice for monitoring performance. A better approach, he argues, is to establish pace zones that are analogous to heart rate zones and power zones. He points out that heart rate is an input metric, whereas power and pace are output metrics. Joe Friel compares training by heart rate with trying to manage the speed of a car by monitoring fuel consumption.

Riell suggests using recent marathon performance to establish three pace zones, then use that data to calculate three zones for Ironman pace. Clearly this approach is designed for top performing age groupers. He hints at this when he describes two example athletes, one who runs a marathon in 3:15 and another in 3:45. I for one would be thrilled to run a half marathon in that time.

It turns out that Riell's piece includes a hint about a method by Joe Friel for establishing pace zones. I searched around Training Peaks and found it. What a nice surprise. I like Friel's method because it relies on a 30 minute effort, something achievable by anybody bothering to fuss with this stuff. The same test I do regularly to set heart rate zones. If only Garmin had a display for these zones, like they do for heart rate and power. When I have some time I want to look back over my recent 30 minute time trials and see how my pace zones turn out.

I should point out that I am training for the Honu Half Ironman. Strictly speaking, my goal pace should be faster than the Ironman marathon pace. At my level, anything faster than walking is good. But it is nice to have goals.

Road ID app goes beyond bracelet

I started wearing a Road ID bracelet almost as soon as they came out. They had thoughtful ads on the Tour de France featuring a bunch of pro riders talking about crashes, so I got one. Later Pattie got one, too. Their quality is superb; I wear mine every day and I am only on my second bracelet. In fact, my first one is still functional, it just looks beat up.

The idea behind the Road ID is a small message with emergency contact information and a PIN number that emergency responders can use to look up whatever information I choose to place on my page at Road ID. Additional points of contact and medical stuff. I am not allergic to anything like penicillin, but it would help an ER staff to know if I was, or if I am taking blood thinners.

Recently Road ID came out with a smartphone app that complements their bracelet. It consists of two parts. First is a wallpaper maker that helps you to create a lock screen for your smartphone with contact information. Here is mine:

I chose to add the phrase about wearing a bracelet. Pattie took this pic with her phone, which you can see in the reflection. I obfuscated the phone numbers here, they are visible on my phone. Again, this is what you see when you turn on my phone.

The second part is a timer and movement detector. Once started, if I stop moving for more than a few minutes my phone will send a text message alert to whomever I configured -- in my case, Pattie. She can also see a map with my current location as given by my phone's GPS. My phone will do its best to warn me before sending the alert. Imagine how happy Pattie would be if she drove all the way to Hawaii Kai only to discover I had stopped off at Starbucks and forgot to turn off my tracker.

This is probably overkill for those morning runs where there are plenty of people around. It makes good sense on weekends, especially those long bike rides through the countryside. It might even work on an open water swim provided I place the phone in a zip-lock bag and put that inside my swim cap. On second thought, my phone is way too big for that. I know, stash the phone in a Kiefer SaferSwimmer.

I know that it might seem intrusive to the person left behind, but the peace of mind this app delivers is more than worth whatever disgruntlement is causes. And for those of you who cherish a long bike ride as a means to get away on your own for awhile, you really do not want to be all alone when your heart decides it doesn't want to work any more. Get yourself a Road ID, and the app.

Forgetfulness

For several weeks I have been unusually forgetful. I know am naturally inclined that way and have developed the usual countermeasures: routine and reminders. Those have worked well for years, but lately I have experienced a spike of forgetting stuff related to working out.

• Two Wednesdays in a row I forgot to pack my HRM strap for spin class. Luckily Pattie loaned me hers.
• This week I remembered my HRM strap, but forgot to pack my Garmin 800. No data.
• One morning I got to the Oahu Club only to discover I forgot my towel. Luckily I always carry a TYR chamois and could dry off after my shower with that.
• On a different morning I forgot to pack underwear. Must have been a Thursday, because I was wearing running shorts rather than a bathing suit. Had to wear those all day under my trousers. No comment.
• Last Monday I was scheduled to swim after work. Got to work after Ben Williams' tri clinic to discover I had not packed the little swim bag with my goggles and caps.

I often get stuck in traffic. Besides longing for the Good Olde Days when I rode my bike to work, I use this time to ponder things. This morning I spent the time thinking about why I had become so forgetful. Here is my conclusion. It is my mind's natural attempt to save my life.

That is what our mind does, first and foremost; ensure our survival. When we are active we become fatigued. Sure you can talk till you are blue about oxygen depletion and lactate concentration, but in the end the feeling of fatigue that slows us down is our mind trying to save our skin.

Recently I have significantly upped my workout intensity. My Training Peaks PMC shows the purple TSS/d line way above the CTL and the TSB is as low as -20. In plain English I have been working hard and I should be feeling tired, and I do. The good kind. The kind of fatigue that feels like a reward. But my mind does not know about PMCs and TSBs. All it knows is that these workouts are killing me, so if I leave something I need at home I will skip the workout.

Thanks, mind. Maybe I do need to pull back a little. If there is anything certain about all this data, it is that how hard to train is much more art than science.

Ben Williams Triathlon Clinic

This morning was the inaugural session of a free monthly triathlon clinic hosted by Honolulu's own Ben Williams at IT&B. A half dozen people awoke well before dawn and braved the sub-sixty degree chill to participate. All survived without frostbite.

The basic idea is to do a bike-run brick. Today's ride was a straightforward route from IT&B along Campbell Ave, up Monsarrat, left on 18th, Kilauea to Aloha gas station, down Kealaolu to Kahala Ave and back over Diamond Head to Kapahulu via Paki. Back at the shop it was a quick transition (well, I was not so quick) and off to run a bit. Afterward Ben shared some good tri tips. Next time we will do something more energetic on the bike.

The sessions will be held on the first Monday of the month. Meet at 5:30 at IT&B, roll out shortly thereafter. Contact Ben via IT&B at 808.732.7227.

My apologies for the fuzzy photo. My phone's camera must have been frozen. But I didn't let it go!

My Honolulu Marathon 2014

This year's Honolulu Marathon was cold, wet, and windy. An all-around miserable experience. The kind of race that feels more like a crazy reality TV endurance challenge than a major marathon. I fully expected to find Bear Grylls at an aid station handing out live grubs and cactus water, and to see the Tour's El Diablo out on the course prodding us with his trident.

My plan was reduced to shreds. I planned to finish in 6:45 but had to contend myself with a 7:33. I am grateful to have achieved even that. But there is much to be proud of, starting with this being my best marathon time ever; my only other marathon -- 2012 -- took me 7:50.

What I consider to be the experimental aspect of this race was my training plan. I have described it in detail in previous blog posts and will not repeat much here, except that the basic idea was to train like an Ironman triathlete, with a long run on Saturday and a long bike on Sunday, off-loading much of the aerobic endurance work to the bike in order to reduce the risk of injury. I consider this to have been a success, because I had no signifiant problems with injury despite a long-term issue with my left quadricep that has previously lead to iliotibial band syndrome. Had the conditions on race day not been so horrific I am sure I would have gotten closer to my goal time.

My original goal was to run the race at an average of 14:30 min/mile, for a time of 6:20. As December approached I realized I was not getting THAT much faster, so I set my goal for my simulation race on November 30 at 15:00 min/mile. After about twelve miles that day the wheels fell off, with my day ending at the top of Diamond Head puking and with both legs cramped up solid.  Because of that I lowered my race goal pace to 15:30. I ended up with an overall average of 17:00.

Pace Plan

1. Do not worry about first two to three miles except to not go too fast. Wait for traffic to thin out, and for my body to warm up.
2. Walk the aid stations to give legs a little rest and to let intake of water and gel settle. Avoid upset stomach.
3. From Kapiolani Blvd. to Aloha gas station on return (most of the course), try to maintain a 15:30 pace where the road was flat, 14:30 where it went slightly downhill (for instance, by Kalani High School outbound). Slow down as needed to maintain HR on uphill sections.  Keep HR in low zone 2 as much as possible, let it get up into low 3's on hills but pay attention to breathing and perceived effort -- do not go crazy.
4. Walk the steep parts of Diamond Head, three places, by lighthouse and approaching 18th Ave. outboard, Triangle Park to top on return. 
5. Run carefully fast down 18th, don't get injured there.
6. From Aloha gas station on through Kahala to Triangle Park, try for a 14:30 pace or better, whatever I could manage at that point. No holding back, let it fly. This is how I finished the Hapalua half marathon and the Honolulu Triathlon last year.

Fuel and Hydration Plan

1. Drink water at every aid station, about half a paper cup.
2. Carry a Fuelbelt with two seven ounce flasks, each with three GU gels diluted 50/50 with water. Take a sip from flask every 20 minutes. (Set time alarm on Garmin to remind me.)
3. Try to synchronize water and gel intake.
4. Never gulp a lot of water no mater how I feel, as that will cause me to puke, based on experience.
5. Same for gel, just a little sip, roll in mouth before swallowing, too much and stomach will rebel.

The Start

It was raining when I was ready to leave for the start so I wore my trash bag rain coat. Removed it just before 5:00. A light rain continued throughout the first few miles, not as bad as the Hapalua Half Marathon in 2013 but in combination with the 68F temperature I was having a hard time warming up. 

I lined up at the "over six hour" sign but found myself surrounded by people mostly walking. I stuck to my plan, stayed calm, felt sorry for the kids from Kamehameha jazz ensemble playing in the rain. Everything was good until Paki Park, when the density of walkers made running difficult. Had to walk all the way from Kapiolani Park to top of Diamond Head. Strangely enough the crowd began to thin at the end of the steep section and some people around me started running, despite the fact that they did not look that strong. I waited for the grade to drop a bit before the top lookout to start running, and flew down the hill past a lot of people still walking.

Just as I planned I started walking where Diamond Head Road kicks up by the dog park. I turned to check the route to Hawaii Kai and could not see a thing, just a solid gray mass of rain. That did not bode well, and I was right.

In Kahala I stopped for a minute to cheer on a really awesome rock band, a bunch of old guys like me playing terrific blues. Who are these musicians who get up at 4AM to entertain a bunch of runners? It sure makes a miserable morning a lot less miserable.

It was after the Aloha gas station that we began to feel the full effects of the wind. This in itself was no surprise; every cyclist in Honolulu knows about that headwind. The surprise was the intensity. I have never ran against such a strong wind. I would say it never dropped below 20MPH and gusted to 50MPH. A wind like that completely destroys your balance and natural gait. All you can do is react, react, react, which sucks hugs amounts of energy.

My hat. I have run against headwinds before, and the best thing to do is to turn my hat around. I tried that, but the wind was so strong I feared my hat would be blown right off my head and all the way back to Kahala Mall, so I took it off and held it in my hand. Except that the rain would mess up my glasses, like driving a car without windshield wipers. I needed the hat brim to keep the rain off my glass. Put the hat back on, pull it down low and look down to keep the wind from getting under the brim. Now my posture is off and I cannot see much past my feet. I fiddled like this again and again, searching for the best compromise. You can imagine what that did to my stride.

Heart Rate Too High

My plan was to stay in low zone 2 all the way to Hawaii Kai. I was running at or slower than 15:30 but way up in zone 3. I have had this happen before. I do not feel like I am in zone 3. I am breathing as though I am in zone 2, my legs feel like they are running at zone 2, only my heat rate is too high. But heart rate is a reflection of energy consumption, and to run the entire race in zone 3 was not possible for me. I tried to slow down, but my HR hardly got down to 2.5 and I would automatically go back to my happy pace, which had me back up in the 3's. It ended up being a compromise -- my average HR was higher than plan while my average pace was slower than plan.

Had I been more experienced I might have known exactly how to handle this situation. As it was, I worried a lot about how much to slow down. I think I sped up and slowed down over and over because I could not make up my mind. As I was leaving Hawaii Kai I knew I was way behind plan, both time and energy, so the best thing to do was to just get through the day without trying to make any particular time. I really wanted to enjoy the day, but that was out of the question. You know the expression "Grin and bear it?" Well, I wasn't grinning.

Here is my time in zone for the entire race. The chart can display five or more zones but I only ran in (left to right) zones 1, 2 and 3. Spent way too much in zone 3.

Even though I am not happy with those proportions, I know that had I held back on the outbound segment I would have lost massive amounts of time, and I did finish in good shape, so this was not terrible. Compare this with my simulation run two weeks earlier, the one that I could not finish due to leg cramps and puking:

So I guess I can say that I learned my lesson, and even though I felt unsure about how to react to the high HR I managed to handle it well enough to avoid disaster.

Here is a little more detail. I need to point out that my Garmin battery died just before the finish, so my official time was 7:33 but I am working here with my Garmin data which ends just as I get to Kapiolani Park, at 7:25, 26.2 miles. Close enough.

I punched the lap button at 13.3 miles, right at the half way sign where one of the mid-way timing mats was located. Looks like I ran a balanced pace.

Lap 1 - 3:38

Lap 2 - 3:47

Keep in mind lap 2 is a little short, but even so, pretty good.

Here is some data by segment, using well known locations that align to my plan.

Mile > Location > Avg Pace > Max Pace > Avg HR > Max HR

Start to Mile 3 (McKinley High School) 16:16 10:46 138 143

Mile 3 to Mile 11 (McKinley to Aloha gas station outbound) 16:30 11:06 139 146

Mile 11 to mile 16 (Aloha to Hawaii Kai) 16:37 12:55 139 146

Mile 16 to mile 22 (Hawaii Kai to Aloha return) 17:31 13:18 135 145

Mile 22 to Mile 26.2 (Aloha to finish) 18:14 12:57 130 142

To interpret these data it helps to know my HR zones for running:

1 102 - 131

2 132 - 140

3 141 - 147

4 148 - 153

5a 154 - 157

5b 158 - 162

5c 163 - 170

From this we can see that my average did stay in zone 2, but I ran faster often enough to rack up considerable time in zone 3. Again, I wanted to be in the low 2's for most of the day, but right from the start my average was in the high 2's.

Leg Articulation

On many of my Saturday long runs I was bothered by stiff quadriceps in my left leg, resulting in an asymmetrical gait. My right leg would recover smoothly, while my left leg felt as though it never flexed at the knee, just swinging back and forth from the hip. During the marathon I had no such problem. Chalk it up to excellent work by my massage therapist Sonya Weiser Souza.

Urination

When I ran my first marathon I stopped to pee three times. Lost a lot of time waiting in those lines. This time my goal was to drink just enough to stay reasonably hydrated with only one stop, and that would be at the Oahu Club. This worked perfectly. I did not really need to pee at the club but I stuck to my plan. I also wasted a minute waving hello to Joe Lileikis. He and his brother Tom have been helping me to swim better. It was raining but there he was on the 25 yard pool deck under an umbrella, yelling out encouragement to one of his students. What a great coach, and a pretty good swimmer, too.

Energy

I never felt bonky. I know very well what that feels like, having hit the wall on several occasions. A carefully practiced and implemented fuel plan that relied solely on what I carried and a reasonable pace got me to the finish still running.

Salt

I brought along three salt pills in a clip-on dispenser. The day was so cool I was not sure I needed any, but I reasoned that since I was drinking water at every aid station and not producing much urine, I had to be losing some water to sweat and to not take in salt would led to my stomach not accepting the water. Slosh slosh. Been there. So I had two pills, one in Hawaii Kai and the other after reaching Kahala. Nothing else to report there.

Wet Feet

I coated my feet with the semi-liquid form of Body Glide before putting on my socks, and I wore comfortable running socks I had used many times. I guess I never wore those socks in the rain, because they kept bunching up under the balls of both feet. The left foot was more of a problem. Despite repeatedly stopping to pull up the back of the sock, and one stop in Kahala to sit and take my shoe off, I ended up with a very sore left foot. No blisters, no black and blue, just really sore deep inside. I would call it a bone bruise, if there is such a thing. I saw many runners with their shoes off, applying tape or anything else they could find to deal with blisters and split callouses. My feet did not hurt enough to slow me down, just enough to be annoying.

Walking

I had planned to walk the steep hills and the aid stations. I stuck to my plan all the way to the turn onto Hawaii Kai Drive, where I was surprised to discover I did not have the strength to run up that little bridge. I had been concerned about how much energy I was using on the way out; this was my first clue how tired I was. After my planned pit stop at the Oahu Club I had to walk over the bridge by the shopping center, and all along the return route I had to stop every now and then to walk. I was guided my the pre-cramp twitches in my hamstrings. I did not want to risk pushing any harder, least I end up like I had two weeks earlier, stranded on Diamond Head with both legs locked up solid. Of course this slowed me down, but when I did run I could run faster than on the way out, and I made it the the finish line in good shape.

The Finish

I was able to run all the way down Diamond Head to the finish, except a time or two when people got in my way. Slow, to be sure, but I could still run and was happy for that. The only bright moment in an otherwise miserable day was when Pattie met me at the finish with a big bottle of spring water and a spam musubi. We walked back to the Hale Koa to give my legs some active recovery, and after a nice cool shower went out for beer and a bowl of udon. After a nap we had dinner at Eggs & Things. I ate too much omelet and had an upset stomach the rest of the night, but I didn't care because the marathon was behind me and, all things considered, it went rather well.

Epilog

My marathon training plan was designed to split endurance training between the bike and the run. Here is a chart showing relative workout times for each type of activity over the last 90 days (courtesy of Training Peaks). Notice how the bike and run are about the same.

If I had it to do over again I would have made some of the Saturday long runs even longer. Of course this increases the risk of injury, but I think my legs would have had more endurance had I not held back quite this much. Still, I think this is a great way to approach long distance run training, especially for anyone with a history of hip, knee or foot problems. You cannot finish a marathon unless you arrive at the start line ready to run.

Blending workouts and the Traing Peaks Performance Management Chart

Update 12/12/14 - Another look at at the Training Peaks Performance Management Chart in this article, "How Tinkoff-Saxo Manages Fitness and Fatigue Over the Season."

My marathon taper

The official Honolulu Marathon FB page had a question about what people did today, seven days from the marathon. A lot of people said they did their last long run. I was surprised at the range of distances, from a few miles to half marathons. Obviously there is not much agreement in how to taper for a marathon.

I designed my own training plan, using Training Peaks and modifying the workout suggestions from the virtual coach. The idea is to do just enough running while doing the majority of endurance work on the bike. I borrowed this idea from Ironman training and wrote about it previously. My peak days were at week 16 for the bike (60 miles), and week 18 for the run, when I did my 26K race simulation.  My taper really started there:


Nov 30 Sun. Long run, 17 mi, race simulation.

Dec 6 Sat. Long run, 5 mi, last 3 at goal pace.

Dec 7 Sun. Long bike, 25mi mostly 1Z some 2Z no hills.

Dec 8 Mon. Swim. Dur 0:30.

Dec 9 Tue. Recovery run. Dur: 0:30. Followed by strength session, dur:1:00.

Dec 10 Wed. Taper repeats. Dur: 0:30. Warm up including 4 pick-ups. Then 4 x 90 seconds (recover 3 minutes) at next race pace. Relaxed speed! NOT all out. OPTIONAL 0:30 swim. Afternoon massage.

Dec 11 Thu. Taper repeats. Dur: 0:30. Warm up including 4 pick-ups. Then 3 x 90 seconds (recover 3 minutes) at next race pace. Relaxed speed! NOT all out.

Dec 12 Fri. Taper Repeats. Dur: 0:20. Warm up including 4 pick-ups. Then 2 x 90 seconds (recover 3 minutes) at next race pace. Relaxed speed! NOT all out.

Dec 13 Sat. Day off.

Dec 14 Sun. Race.

In the week between Nov 30 and Dec 6 there were the usual workouts, the stuff I had been doing throughout my twelve week plan. I've not included them here for clarity. Before the simulation there was a little taper in the plan, although I blew the execution and came to the simulation well off my best form. One more lesson to learn.

It is my understanding that the end of the taper calls for short workouts at relatively high intensity. Not all out, but definitely not at an easy jog. Just enough to remind the muscles that there is work to be done, without burning too much fuel and without risking injury. After training at much higher volume it is natural for our mind to insist we ought to be doing more.